Studies have been undertaken to investigate changes in microflora associated with the spoilage of commercial fish sausages collected in the period from 1962 to 1975. One hundred and thirteen commercial fish sausages were examined, and 753 strains of Bacilli were isolated. In addition, the factors affecting the change of microflora of fish sausage were analyzed from the viewpoint of food packaging technology. The results obtained may be summarized as follows:
1. Changes in the microflora of fish sausage were found to be greatly affected not only by the adhesive character of the packaging film to the meat, but also by the heat-processing conditions.
2. When fish sausages were, packaged in a film of poor adhesiveness to meat, free water appeared in the space between the film and She surface of the fish sausage. Then the products tended to be spoiled with weak gas formation. B. firmus was isolated from such deteriorations.
3. The sausages packaged in a film of excellent adhesiveness to meat developed either a softening type of spoilage or some spot-forming deterioration. B. coagulans and B. circulans were isolated from these types of fish sausage deterioation.